Smoking near children needs state's attention

A new ad campaign designed to teach adults the dangers of smoking near children is a worthwhile investment on behalf of New York's children.

The state is spending $5 million to publicize health studies that say secondhand smoke accounts for thousands of heart disease and lung cancer deaths every year in the United States. The ads warn: “When you smoke around your kids, they smoke too.”

Critics say the state already restricts smoking more than necessary, and a spokesperson for New York City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment called the ads “an intolerance campaign” that exploits children.